Shannon holding a black racer at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Tell us about yourself.
I’m originally from Louisa but settled in Fredericksburg, which was close to Dominion Power’s North Anna Nuclear power plant where I was employed. I’m currently a Field Service Engineer for Fisher Scientific and work specifically with qPCR and flow cytometry instruments used in research, though my background is actually in ion chromatography and mass spec products.
How did you become interested in the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the Society?
I’m particularly interested in Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) restoration and microbiological restoration; however, I discovered the BBNWR purely by accident while on a hunting excursion.
Why and how have you supported the BBNWR and Society?
My Master’s program at VT is Natural Resources, with a focus on sustainability and climate change mitigation. For that reason, wetland restoration has been a huge focus in my studies, as wetlands are some of the most powerful tools in our arsenal against buffering the effects of sea level rise, coastal erosion, and storm surges. As part of a class project, I interviewed Richard Dyer (then Society President) which further sparked my interest in the Society, Refuge, and surrounding Back Bay.
Please tell us something interesting that you have learned about the Refuge.
I’ve learned about the importance of managing hydrology through pumping and gravity feeds from Back Bay in and out of Refuge impoundments to create viable habitat for waterfowl and wading bird species. Additionally, I’ve learned about the impacts of land use on water quality and habitats and about the commonwealth-wide issue of snake fungal disease that is spreading across the country.
What’s something about you that not many people know?
While I love reptiles and have written an article about the Cotton Mouth for the Society newsletter, I occasionally have nightmares about snakes!
Member Spotlight
Posted: August 9, 2022 by Back Bay NWR Society
Shannon Titus
Tell us about yourself.
I’m originally from Louisa but settled in Fredericksburg, which was close to Dominion Power’s North Anna Nuclear power plant where I was employed. I’m currently a Field Service Engineer for Fisher Scientific and work specifically with qPCR and flow cytometry instruments used in research, though my background is actually in ion chromatography and mass spec products.
How did you become interested in the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the Society?
I’m particularly interested in Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) restoration and microbiological restoration; however, I discovered the BBNWR purely by accident while on a hunting excursion.
Why and how have you supported the BBNWR and Society?
My Master’s program at VT is Natural Resources, with a focus on sustainability and climate change mitigation. For that reason, wetland restoration has been a huge focus in my studies, as wetlands are some of the most powerful tools in our arsenal against buffering the effects of sea level rise, coastal erosion, and storm surges. As part of a class project, I interviewed Richard Dyer (then Society President) which further sparked my interest in the Society, Refuge, and surrounding Back Bay.
Please tell us something interesting that you have learned about the Refuge.
I’ve learned about the importance of managing hydrology through pumping and gravity feeds from Back Bay in and out of Refuge impoundments to create viable habitat for waterfowl and wading bird species. Additionally, I’ve learned about the impacts of land use on water quality and habitats and about the commonwealth-wide issue of snake fungal disease that is spreading across the country.
What’s something about you that not many people know?
While I love reptiles and have written an article about the Cotton Mouth for the Society newsletter, I occasionally have nightmares about snakes!
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Category: News & Articles